Improvement in magazine or self-loading fire-arms



'UNITED STATESn PATENT OFTTcE.

ROBERT ROBERTS, OF U'IIOA, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAGAZINE OR SELF-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45,638, dated December 27, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, R. ROBERTS, of Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Magazine Fire-Arms, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a side view of my improved firearm. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof with the breech closed and ready to tire, showing the manner in which one cartridge is inserted below the other preparatory to being raised after the other is exploded. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section ofthe same with the breech open and the cartridge fired, showing how the old cartridge is pushed out and the new one raised. Fig. lis a transverse sectionof the same in the line x, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a side` view of the rear end of the magazine of my improved lire-arm.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in the several figures.

In my invention are two prominent features of novelty, the first being the manner in which one cartridge is inserted below that which is in position to be exploded, ready to be raised as soon as the latter is iired off, and the second the manner in which thc cartridges are raised to a position in line with the bore, so as to expel the exploded shell and enter the barrel as the latter is retracted.

In order that others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains. may be enabled to fully understand and .use the same, I will proceed to describe'its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A may represent the barrel of a fire-arm, and B its frame, the forward part of which, B', is slotted to permit a longitudinal motion of the barrel, which is secured by a screw, c, to a guide-block, C, fitting within the slot a of the frame. Ihe rear part, B, forms a chamber for the reception of the successive cartridges from the magazine, as hereinafter explained.

l) is the recoil-plate, formed on the frame B. Pivoted to the lower stock-flange, D', is a finger-lever, E, which is connected with the sliding piece (i by means of a curved lever, F, jointed to the sliding piece C and to the fingerlever E by pivots a a', in such a manner that by pressing the finger-lever E forward the barrel attached to the sliding block O will be -moved forward and away from the recoil-plate by means of the lever F, thus opening the breech and exposing to view the chamber B.

Attached to the lower part of the rear of the chamber B, and extending backward within' the stock, is a cylindrical magazine, G, into which the cartridges are inserted at the rear end, which is closed by means of a stopper, H, held in position by a pin, h, locking into alongitudinal and transverse slot, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. p I

The stopper H has attached to it a spiral spring, I, to the other end of which a plunger, t', is secured, so as to exert aforward pressure on the cartridges. v

In the forward end of the chamber B is piv oted a cani-lever, K, so formed and applied that when its rear end, k, is raised the same will close the magazine wh ile its upper part is just on a level with the lower surface of the bore; but when in its lower position it is on a level with the bottoni 0f the magazine G.

On the lower rear end of the barrel is formed a project-ion, l, which catches the cam-lever IC when the barrel A is slid forward in such a manner as to raise therear end, 7c, of the camlever.

Inclosing the breech the barrel passes over the cartridge in the lower part of the chamber B, as represented in Fig. 2.

On the inner sides of the chamberB are at tached posts or ways m, the distance from the rear ends of which to the recoil-block is exactly the width of the ange of the cartridge, and which are placed in front of the forward opening of the magazine, in such a way that when the cartridge is pressed forward by the spring l it will glide between the two posts as far as the flange, which will be caught by said posts, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. On closing the breech these posts m are received in slots formed for that purpose in the barrel. The inner edge of the rear end of the barrel is also grooved to admit the fiange of the cartridge.

When the finger-lever E is pressed forward, after the piece is discharged, the barrel A is slid forward and the breech opened by means of the lever F. The projection Zon its rear end, catching the forward end of the cam-lever K, raises the `cartridge on the rear end, k, of the said lever. The flange of the cartridge being held by the posts m, the same is raised vertically, and, coming in contct with the exploded cartridge-case, held also by the posts m, forces the same out ofthe breech and raises the new cartridge into its proper position, at the same time closing` the magazine and preventing any cartridge from entering the chamber prematurely. Then, by pulling the linger-lever E back, the barrel A is drawn back, sliding over the cartridge and closing the breech. The projection Zreleases its hold on the forward end of the cam-lever K, and the projection l comes in contact with it, whereby the rear end, lo, is lowered, opening the magazine and allowing a new cartridge to enter the chamber B on top of the lever K, and so on until all the cartridges in the magazine are exploded, when, by taking out the stopper H, with the spiral spring I and plunger 'i attached, the

magazine may be refilled, the plunger, spiral spring, and stopper returned, and the piece will be ready for use again.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. I claim the lever K, constructed and operating as described to prevent the premature exit of the cartridges from the magazine and elevate them successively to the level of the bore.

2. In combination withia suitable lifting device, I claim the posts or ways mm, employed to guide the cartridges in their upper motion and retract the exploded shell, substantially as described.

ROBERT ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

G. E. LAVELOTTE, RICHARD H. POND. 

